Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I keep thinking that with all the ROW, engineering, environmental, and actual construction, there's no way it stays around $5 million per mile. But hey, one can hope.
I'd love for this to happen, but with this, Corridor H, US 35, CFX, and the KCH, at some point WV needs to strike it rich, change some policy with roads (there's no way we should have the 6th largest state road network), or focus more on maintenance than new construction. I generally support the idea of all of those getting built, eventually, but we should be investing in what will bring the greatest ROI. I'm of the opinion that an I-68 extension with an expressway portion above Morgantown would fit that a bit more than the CFX or KCH at this time. I guess we'll see what the future holds.
If the O&G industry is pushing for it they can pay every penny of it.
Exactly. Well, sort of. This is where we leverage the severance taxes from oil and gas and allow it to grow in a Future Fund. If we had done this in the 60s/70s with coal, we wouldn't be talking about building highways in the coalfields; it would have happened by now. Unfortunately, the state was short-sighted then and didn't capitalize on the resources we had. Let's not squander this opportunity a second time.
I keep thinking that with all the ROW, engineering, environmental, and actual construction, there's no way it stays around $5 million per mile. But hey, one can hope.
I'd love for this to happen, but with this, Corridor H, US 35, CFX, and the KCH, at some point WV needs to strike it rich, change some policy with roads (there's no way we should have the 6th largest state road network), or focus more on maintenance than new construction. I generally support the idea of all of those getting built, eventually, but we should be investing in what will bring the greatest ROI. I'm of the opinion that an I-68 extension with an expressway portion above Morgantown would fit that a bit more than the CFX or KCH at this time. I guess we'll see what the future holds.
You're dead right. Neighborhood roads shouldn't be competing within the same agency with national and regional highways. I feel strongly that West Virginia should abandon the every-road's-a-state-road system and let the county highway system actually be run by counties. That would enable more local control over construction and maintenance of roads in their communities while allowing the state to focus solely on roads that fit into a statewide or national system.
This (I-68) is the first phase of bringing prosperity to the entire Ohio Valley in WV, and North Central West Virginia. Giving those gas and oil resources unimpeded access to and from the Ohio Valley is absolutely vital, unless we want them all shipped by pipeline to Louisiana and Baltimore. Next WV 2 needs to be upgraded all the way from Huntington to Chester for the same reasons, and to be competitive with Ohio in terms of industrial development. Following that, Corridor D needs to be completed providing additional means to move manufactured goods to east coast ports from the Ohio Valley via US 50 from Parkersburg. Those projects should absolutely have first priority in order to not let the oil and gas possibilities slip away.
Follow that up with developing US 35 to Point Pleasant. The "Coal Fields Expressway" is a waste of money in comparison with those projects, and it is a feel good attempt to bolster morale in an economically dying area that has little immediate prospect to prosper in the current environment.
In terms of local road construction, Martinsburg and especially Morgantown are literally bursting at the seams with traffic. Local roads are basically adequate in other parts of the state. Fix those roads, and then the state would be positioned to start improving existing roadways everywhere.
There is always the issue of funding, and since vehicles are getting better gas mileage these days they are driving more miles while paying less road maintenance taxes. It is great to save money by using less gas, but not logical to drive more on roads and pay less to maintain them. I say go ahead and add a dime a gallon to the gas tax and get it over with. Our roads are looking worse than they do in third world countries. It is high time we do something about it.
This (I-68) is the first phase of bringing prosperity to the entire Ohio Valley in WV, and North Central West Virginia. Giving those gas and oil resources unimpeded access to and from the Ohio Valley is absolutely vital, unless we want them all shipped by pipeline to Louisiana and Baltimore.
RIGHT, this is what's holding back the Ohio Valley {sarcasm}
Sorry, WV has no business handing out hundreds of millions in welfare to the O&G Industry when we've had to rob 100 MILLION from the rainy day fund this year just to pay bills.
"I wish I could get to Moundsville faster" said no one ever
RIGHT, this is what's holding back the Ohio Valley {sarcasm}
Sorry, WV has no business handing out hundreds of millions in welfare to the O&G Industry when we've had to rob 100 MILLION from the rainy day fund this year just to pay bills.
"I wish I could get to Moundsville faster" said no one ever
If you actually knew what you were talking about, maybe you'd have a point (sarcasm). This isn't about anybody wanting to go to Moundsville. It is about opening up the resources (as they have long ago done in Texas, Oklahoma, and other resource rich states) to development and jobs for residents. If that isn't done, that oil and gas will simply be piped to Louisiana, where they will eagerly insure that they have the right infrastructure to put people to work, or to Baltimore, where it will be loaded on ships and sent to cheap labor countries who will also eagerly build the infrastructure.
You see, one of the reasons we have to rob the rainy day fund is we don't have adequate infrastructure to take advantage of our natural resources and create jobs with them. That's why most of the money has ended up going out of state. We wouldn't need a rainy day fund if we had a stable, reliable tax base with a growing industrial complex like they do in Texas and Louisiana.
If you actually knew what you were talking about, maybe you'd have a point (sarcasm). This isn't about anybody wanting to go to Moundsville. It is about opening up the resources (as they have long ago done in Texas, Oklahoma, and other resource rich states) to development and jobs for residents. If that isn't done, that oil and gas will simply be piped to Louisiana, where they will eagerly insure that they have the right infrastructure to put people to work, or to Baltimore, where it will be loaded on ships and sent to cheap labor countries who will also eagerly build the infrastructure.
You see, one of the reasons we have to rob the rainy day fund is we don't have adequate infrastructure to take advantage of our natural resources and create jobs with them. That's why most of the money has ended up going out of state. We wouldn't need a rainy day fund if we had a stable, reliable tax base with a growing industrial complex like they do in Texas and Louisiana.
I think I know what I'm talking about. You think it's the tax payer's job to subsidize a billion dollar industry to open up O&G development between morgantown and moundsville. You think it will create some great prosperity. I completely disagree
I say I don't want to pay for it. It will have no benefit to me, pretty much everyone I know, and most of the state. It's completely obvious that the whole idea is being pushed by special interests which rarely benefits the masses.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
